How can I recover files from USB drives turned into shortcuts without formatting?
Asked by
MellowCedar47
Both of my USB drives suddenly started showing shortcuts instead of their normal files after being connected to an infected computer. Malware scans found and removed worms, trojans, and other threats from the computer and drives. Before scanning, I deleted the shortcuts because I was worried they were malicious, but I never checked where they pointed. Now I need to restore access to roughly 28 GB of files on each drive—about 56 GB total—without formatting or losing anything. I cannot afford paid recovery software, so I'm looking for a safe, free method to make the files visible again or recover them without damaging the drives.
Answers
The shortcut malware often hides the original folders and creates malicious shortcuts that launch the infection. Deleting the shortcuts usually does not delete the underlying data, so first check whether the drives show the correct used space and whether hidden folders are present. If the files still aren’t visible, stop writing to the drives and use a reputable free recovery tool from a clean, trusted computer. Make backups as soon as the data is accessible; important files should never exist in only one place.
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If the drives still appear in File Explorer and the only thing you deleted was the shortcut, the files may still be present but marked hidden or as system files. In Folder Options, enable “Show hidden files” and temporarily disable the options that hide protected operating-system files and file extensions. If the files appear, copy them to a separate, clean location immediately. Don’t format the drives or run repair tools before making a backup.
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